Food bank changing hands

Monday

The Salvation Army will hand over operation of the local food bank in a matter of days to the agency that previously ran the food bank seven years ago.

Second Harvest North Florida, which supplies food to the bank and operated it until 2003, terminated its contract with the Salvation Army and will take over operations Wednesday.

Karen Rieley, Second Harvest North Florida vice president for advancement, said the organization is taking over because it feels it can supply more food by operating the bank directly.

"All along, the Salvation Army -- almost 100 percent of the food it distributes came from us," she said. "The operation ... is maximized. They couldn't take more, and therefore we couldn't distribute more out.

"We need to at least double the amount of food we're distributing as quickly as possible," she said.

She said the organization would keep the same two staffers and would add another one, as well as another truck.

The food bank supplies 53 agencies in Flagler, St. Johns and Putnam counties.

The takeover is breeding both hard feelings and optimism.

The Salvation Army says it can now focus on directly feeding the homeless.

"The general thought is that although this is a bad business practice on the part of Second Harvest, the Army will really come out very well in the long run," Salvation Army Maj. Jim Arrowood, Northeast Florida area commander, wrote in an Aug. 4 letter to the St. Johns County Commission.

"Rather than ... helping to pay for two employees, one refrigeration truck, one cargo van, leasing of a fork lift and all of the operational costs in a rented facility, the $75,000 (the county pays) will go directly into the purchase of food," Arrowood wrote.

Gary Bruce, chairman of The Salvation Army of St. Johns Advisory Council, said the organization could now help the homeless more effectively.

"Our role is going to change," Bruce said. "We are going straight out to the truly indigent and serve them a hot meal directly."

And the county, which in the past has helped fund the food bank, is hoping Second Harvest makes good on its promises.

"That's fantastic," Jerry Cameron, assistant county administrator, said of plans to increase the food supply.

"I'm really happy -- I've been working with Salvation Army for over a year to try and identify some opportunities for direct programs to homeless," he said.

"If Second Harvest is coming in and relieving (Salvation Army) of that responsibility for the food bank, that's going to allow them to do some (direct programs for the homeless) and I am encouraged by that."

But Salvation Army officials couldn't help recalling how the organization came to run the food bank in the first place.

"I am sure you are aware that Second Harvest had a food bank in St. Johns County," Arrowood wrote the commission. "The operation was operated very poorly, and basically they left town overnight. Second Harvest asked the Salvation Army to take over their Food Bank and we did so officially in April 2003."

Bruce said the Salvation Army has since improved the food bank, adding two employees, refrigerated shelving and a 16-foot refrigerated truck.

It has given those improvements to Second Harvest.

"I truly feel that it is not beneficial for the Army to fight this," Arrowood wrote.

Bruce said the Salvation Army wants the transition to be "seamless."

"What we thought is, 'We don't like what's happening, but here's the keys and go ahead and operate it because our mission is to feed the hungry,'" he said.

Second Harvest Executive Director Thomas Mantz said the Salvation Army "did a great job [and] were a great benefit to the community."

"Salvation Army has been a fantastic partner, but we just have to do much more," Mantz said. "We know that the responsibilities in St. Augustine and St. Johns County are significant. Agencies that use the food bank say they're pleased with the job the Salvation Army did and hope Second Harvest does as good a job, or better."

"We were pleased with the Salvation Army, and we're just as pleased with (Feed America) taking it over," said Jean Harden, coordinator of Emergency Services and the Homeless Coalition, one of the food bank's biggest clients.

"They will continue with the same staff; they will continue with the same programs.

"And hopefully we will get more product in," especially fruits and vegetables, she said.

"They are going to do a lot more frozen food and a lot more fresh food, fresh vegetables ... that will help."

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